The Squad: Never Back Down
by ZOMG its Angie
Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these FREAKS can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' will end up saving the world. Including your sorry behind." - AU, modern times, SxS, hinted NxH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, ya'll! ZOMG its Angie here, with a brand new story! It's an action fic, one that's actually been inspired by the amazing movie, The Avengers (inspired, mind you, not based off of). This story will have quite a few elements from the Naruto part 1 story line, and...yes. So be excited. Be very excited.**

**Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these _freaks _can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' _will_ end up saving the world. _Including_ your sorry behind."**

* * *

The Squad:

Never Back Down

* * *

.1: The Recruits.

* * *

_One. Two. Three._

Uchiha Sasuke counted each of the bullets his guns released, watching with little satisfaction as each cartridge tore through his targets, making each paper cut out flop back into their hiding places. Sasuke ducked and rolled across the metal floor before unleashing a few more bullets and hitting the same amount of targets. Every shot he took, he made. Every target that appeared, he hit.

_Eight. Nine. Ten._

Sasuke heard a rush of air to his left and immediately twisted his arm back, firing one of his dual pistols. Target 11, one he had typically associated with being quite sneaky, had been neutralized. Had he been in a better mood, a confident smirk would have pulled across the pale Uchiha's face as he continued to take out his make-shift enemies, easily breezing through the training exercise. But, as he continued striking down the standees, as he felt the kick of his guns go from his hands to his core, Sasuke couldn't take his mind off of his score.

So far, he had taken out all of the targets, no surplus of bullets, no sloppy work. However, there was still about three minutes left. Room for error. He still had a chance to screw up the perfect score he aimed for. He still had a chance to prove his father right, showing that he _wasn't _as good as _Itachi._

_Thirty one. Thirty two. Thirty three. Thirty four…_

He shouldn't be worried. Sasuke knew that. It was almost too easy, hitting all of the cut-outs with such precision. Child's play, even. A gunman of Sasuke's caliber shouldn't have to waste his time worrying about what his father thought about of his-

"_Target Fifty two has been missed."_

-skills.

...**_What_**?

Sasuke blinked, hesitating only for a moment before forcing himself back into the swing of things. Surely the computer was mistaken. Sasuke had hit _every target, _hadn't fired _one stray bullet. _He had taken aim, assessed his surroundings, and watched them all go down! Hell, he was being extra careful! It had to be a mistake! His focus was unrivalled!

"Are you quite finished, Uchi-" Sasuke moved without thinking, or rather, he had moved because he was thinking too much. In the heat of the moment, he had swung the barrel of his gun to point at the sound of the newcomer, only stopping himself from pulling the trigger because he caught sight of silver hair. Familiar silver hair. Had the shot actually been enough to _kill _said man, Sasuke might've showed a bit of concern.

Might have.

"You're intruding," were the only words of solace the Uchiha granted. Slim brown eyes wrinkled at their edges as Hatake Kakashi lowered his hands from their surrendering gesture. If it hadn't been for the condescending grin Sasuke knew the man wore under his mask, the eighteen-year-old might've actually felt guilty.

"Ever heard of the colloquial phrase, 'don't shoot the messenger'? Because, believe it or not, it applies pretty well to this situation, eh, Sasuke?" Guilt shouldn't be squandered on an the likes of Kakashi. Sasuke glowered at his trainer before holstering both of his pistols. There was no point to attempt to re-start the targeting sequence. His focus was shattered and the teen couldn't bring himself to forget number fifty two. His perfect score was officially tainted. Sasuke grimaced at the thought.

"What is it you want, Kakashi? I'm busy." Busy failing. Sasuke didn't voice the last bit, but it kept buzzing around in his mind, reminding him of his failure. Damn it. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders casually before motioning for Sasuke to follow him with just a tilt of his head. Sasuke obliged without protest. The two men exited the large training room and entered a long, grey hallway. Sasuke glanced towards his taller companion. "So... what did you want?"

"Not much." Sasuke's jaw tightened. If Kakashi had seriously interrupted his training because he was bored, there was going to be hell to pay. Only, just by the way Kakashi looked around the hallway, Sasuke knew something else was up. Neither he nor Kakashi spoke again until they were in a secured elevator. Then Kakashi began talking, though he was still using small talk. "You know how I always like checking in on my students."

"Student," Sasuke corrected. Because he knew that he was Kakashi's only official charge. Kakashi smirked under the cloth covering his lower face.

"Right, right. You aren't aware of my other... children." Other? Sasuke looked to Kakashi curiously, but the silver haired man was done talking. Instead, he pressed the button for number _26, _and the elevator lurched to life. It seemed they were going to the top today. "What's the mission?" Sasuke wanted to know, straight to business as usual.

"Relax, Sasuke, you'll see in due time."

"But I'd want to know _now_." Kakashi's eyes snapped in Sasuke's direction and narrowed. Sasuke's teeth gritted together as he added an aggravated, "Sir." Kakashi's tense stance relaxed as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hasn't anyone told you?" Sasuke's silence was the only response Kakashi was going to get, so the man continued with a chuckle. "Patience is a virtue."

"Hasn't anyone told _you_ that you're irritating?" Kakashi laughed as the _ding _of the elevator signaled they had reached the 26th floor.

"We can continue this stimulating conversation later. But for now, just trust me and follow me, okay?" It wasn't like Sasuke had much of a choice.

* * *

It was hot.

Hot, stuffy, and boring.

Sakura personally had no idea why anyone would willingly attend school. Still, as she had enrolled herself and endured the 12 years of torture against her aunt's wishes, Sakura was just as crazy as the rest of them. But then, since she was sitting in her graduation, on an uncomfortably plastic chair no less, Sakura could finally say that she was done with it. She was done with high school once and for all. As the student body stood and tossed their hats into the air, Sakura did the same, outwardly appearing just like they did.

On the inside, though, she was looking into the audience, wondering if he was there. Her green eyes didn't pick him up at first, and Sakura would've kept looking, had her best friend Ino hadn't popped into her line of sight.

"Sakura! We did it!" And then Sakura was wrapped into a tight hug. Letting herself relax for just a second, Sakura hugged Ino back and the two squealed in happiness. "Oh, I'm so excited for this summer! I mean, yea, it's full of college packing and stuff, but we get to like, officially kick back and relax!" A guilt-induced knot formed inside Sakura's stomach.

"Um, Ino?"

"And dude, my mom already said that we could do that beach trip that we've been planning! And I won't invite Ami like I did last time, don't worry! I mean, she might get mad at me, but you mean a whole lot more to me than she does, and-"

"Ino?"

"-I just know we'll have a great summer! Oh, you're coming over later to get ready for the party at Mei's hou-"

"_Ino!"_ The blonde jumped at Sakura's words, her blue eyes widening curiously. Sakura didn't wait for the shock to wear off. Instead she took a deep breath and said, "I'm really sorry, but I have to go away tonight." Ino blinked once. Twice. Three times.

"_What_? I thought we had plans, Sak-u-ra! You can't bail on me now!" Ino was shaking Sakura's shoulders, and the pink haired girl was trying her hardest not to get irritated. After all, Ino had been talking about her graduation summer trip since the two met.

In kindergarten.

Shooting her down like Sakura was doing now was, in it's own way, homicide. Sakura had just _killed _Ino's biggest dream with one sentence. And Sakura knew it. Still, there was nothing she could do. Kakashi had made it very clear in the e-mail he sent that morning that life as a normal girl had been cut short. Apparently, the 22 years _they _had promised her mother just hadn't been enough. Selfish bastards, Sakura thought bitterly.

"I, uh... I know it's sudden, Ino, but I got an e-mail from my... Dad." Ino looked at Sakura expectantly, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. "Apparently my mother is dying. Literally. Dad wants me to go visit, make sure she can see me in case she... you know." Ino's eyes widened in surprise and then softened in pity.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!" And Sakura found herself in the second embrace that night. "If I had known I would've sent you there myself! Gah, and I was yelling at you and, and, and-"

"It's okay, Ino. I'm fine. My mom... she was," Sakura hesitated, editting her sentence, "_is_ a strong woman." Ino didn't notice Sakura said was. Or maybe she had and just assumed that since her mother was "sick", she no longer had strength. It probably didn't cross her mind that Asami Haruno had died years ago, because Sakura had never told her. Instead, she accepted Ino's condolences, gave her another hug that would have to last her quite a while, and began leaving the graduation ceremony. There were others who came to talk to her, but as Sakura glanced into the skylight above, she knew she was running out of time.

She hugged another friend before speeding towards the door. Sakura didn't look back. She knew that if she did, she'd probably try something stupid, like _not _answering to the call of ANBU, and _not _finding Kakashi's liaison who was sent to get Sakura and take her to the HQ. But she knew it'd be a bad idea, knew it to her very bones. She knew they would've found her, wherever she went, no matter how far she ran.

For one wasn't simply apart of ANBU.

ANBU was apart of them, too.

* * *

His cell went through little renovation during his ten years of near solitary confinement, and Naruto (stripped of his last name) didn't mind it much. All he needed was his bed, his clothes, and the window above his head. He liked it, the small room. Especially the window. He had little idea where he was being held, but it couldn't have been too far from a town or _something_. A rich scent always wavered into his cell, filling it with the smell of some kind of meal. Had to be one of luxury with it smelling so _delicious_. And with the smells came the sounds of far away laughter.

Oh, how Naruto loved his window, his only portal to the outside world.

He was currently reclined on his bed, digging his sharp nail into the wall. If he wanted to, the seventeen year old might've been able to use his nails to dig and claw his way through the thick pavement and escape. But Naruto knew that he didn't have anywhere to go, even if he did leave. So instead, he settled for carving drawings into the wall. When he was younger, he used to draw people. A man and a woman and a child; a family. As the years went on though, he started to just draw the little boy.

The little boy walking. The little boy on a swing set. The little boy killing all those who had tortured and ostracized him in the past...

Some days, he hated everyone.

Some days, he didn't.

The groaning of old metal sounded. Naruto's blue eyes moved to the left in curiosity. It wasn't often that he got visitors. In fact, his only visitor in six years had been the man with hair like silver fire. He had been kind, someone Naruto liked. The man had even convinced the guards to allow Naruto to be able to use the gym, to eat better food, to get bathing privileges...

But the man in the doorway was large and burly, grim and ugly. His black eyes were full of hatred and he barred his teeth at Naruto as he always did whenever he entered Naruto's cell.

"Get up," the man ordered. Naruto obeyed. He was a little surprised. though. Once he had stood, Naruto realized that since the last time the guard visited, Naruto had grown. Considerably so, for the two were now the same height. This seemed to waver the man's intimidating stare slightly, but not by much. "Come." And on his large feet, the man pivoted and began walking. Naruto followed.

The area out of his cell was lit by dim bulbs, but it was still enough to cause Naruto to blink rapidly and hiss at the brightness. In reaction, the man's hands gripped the pistol at his hip. Naruto stared at him with a blank expression before smiling a little bit.

"The lights are bright." He must've sounded smug. The guard whipped the gun out and slammed it against the side of Naruto's face. Naruto gasped as he tasted blood in his mouth and felt his eyes roll a bit. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but it bothered him. Angered him even. So, keeping true to his rambunctious nature, Naruto spit at his guard and laughed at the shocked expression on the man's face. That resulted in the man calling for back up. They put heavy cuffs on his wrists and feet, a prohibitory collar around his neck and lifted him to his feet. He stumbled. His guard hit him once more.

"That's enough, Daichi."

"Why? He's a freak of nature, a monster!" The man's eyes locked onto Naruto's. "A _demon_." Naruto forced a smirk on his face at the words, trying to not let it show that the insult had bothered him. "See? The bastard _likes _it when I call him that!" The man who had spoken against Daichi said nothing as he impersonally nudged Naruto forward.

"Walk," that man ordered. Naruto walked. And walked. And walked some more. And then, he took the time to realize that he was being taken out of the prison he had practically grew up in, maybe even out of the pain he had known.

"Where you taking me?" Daichi seemed ready to hit Naruto again, but one of the armed men held him back. The man who walked behind Naruto was the one who answered.

"It seems that Kakashi is in need of your assistance. Said something about putting together a team..." Naruto blinked.

"Kakashi?"

"Enough questions." And then Naruto was shoved into an armored van, left in the dark vehicle to wonder about his future in solitude.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! I know this is long, but I hope you read it and enjoyed it because I enjoyed writing it! So please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, ya'll! ZOMG its Angie here, with a brand new story! It's an action fic, one that's actually been inspired by the amazing movie, The Avengers (inspired, mind you, not based off of). This story will have quite a few elements from the Naruto part 1 story line, and...yes. So be excited. Be very excited.**

**Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these _freaks _can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' _will_ end up saving the world. _Including_ your sorry behind."**

* * *

The Squad:

Never Back Down

* * *

.2: A Team.

* * *

It took no more than a few seconds standing in the doorway of Kakashi's office for Sasuke to become incredibly annoyed. And it wasn't because he remembered the target he had missed (actually, now that he thought about it, he was a bit frustrated).

_"Who is that, Kakashi?" _The irritated question was responded to by a smirk and a chuckle.

"It's rude to ask for someone's name before introducing yourself, Sasuke," Kakashi answered at normal volume. The girl, who had been in Kakashi's office and looking very closely at his wall of achievements, turned around quickly to see the two men enter. Sasuke noted that there was a light blush on her cheeks, which nearly clashed against her pink hair.

Hm...Pink hair.

As if he needed to know another idiotic female.

"Ah, Sakura! You made it! I trust your flight was good?" Kakashi walked towards the shorter agent, smiling as he shook her hand. The girl's jaw tightened as she gripped Kakashi's hand tightly. Even a blinde man could see she wasn't happy to be there.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, saluting the silver haired man. "The flight was fine. How are you doing?"Kakashi was smiling, Sasuke knew, but this time, it was reminiscent to a guilty one.

"Eh, sorry about calling you on such short notice. Duty calls, right?"

"It's fine, Sir. I'm sure my mother wouldn't have minded _too _much." Sasuke had no idea who this girl's mother was, but he knew by the way Kakashi flinched at the statement, that she had been someone important and would have definitely minded _a lot._ He remained silent though, as he continued to watch the conversation. Kakashi apologized again while the girl haughtily huffed at him. Then, her green eyes made their way to Sasuke. Kakashi noticed.

"Silly me, I forgot to introduce you two." Kakashi straightened up, his sleek black suit flattening and stretching against the planes of his broad shoulders. "Sasuke, this is Haruno Sakura. Daughter of the legacy agent Asami, Kami rest her soul, and niece to Tsunade. She specializes in the medical field and her punch could, in short, level a truck." Sasuke found that hard to believe, the tiny thing being able to put a dent in _anything, _ but he did raise his eyebrow at her notable relations. "Sakura, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Need I say more?"

He needn't for, Sakura's eyes widened considerably.

"Uchiha?" she whispered, all anger dripping from her face and instead being replaced with shock. Her eyes, though, were focused on Sasuke. A curious gleam shone to them, making her seem a lot younger than she probably was. Sasuke was so busy analyzing this new person, he nearly missed her question. "Are you... an agent, too?" Did the all-black training fatigues with a white, bright ANBU not give it away?

"What do you think," Sasuke hissed. Sakura blinked in surprise before narrowing her eyes. Her mouth opened, no doubt to insult Sasuke in some manner or form, but Kakashi slid in-between the two.

"Now, now, Sasuke, that's no way to treat a lady. Especially when said lady is one of your new teammates." Sasuke's ears twitched. Teammate? How could he have a teammate? Sasuke tried his hardest to push others away! Did Kakashi not see that? And while he mentally stewed over the idea of having to be on a team with the pink haired stranger, Sakura was thinking about other, similar things.

"One of his? Who's the other one?" she asked, looking up at Kakashi. The silver haired man glanced to his watch.

"The more appropriate question is _where _is the other one," Kakashi muttered under his breath as he pressed the center button on his earpiece. "Talk to me, Daichi. What's taking you guys so long?" Kakashi waited in silence as Daichi answered. He did not look pleased. "What do you mean he's resisting? He's an obedient kid, unless you frustrate him." Another pause. "I don't know what to tell you my friend. Except of course, that you're screwed." Kakashi hung up the call and turned to look at his students.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked, sounding only mildly interested.

"Is everything alright?" Sakura wanted to know. Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked towards his office door.

"Yes, everything is fine. Just... be prepared for screaming and a rampaging teenage boy." Sakura and Sasuke shared a curious look, but any conversation they might've had was interrupted by a loud, blood curdling scream. "And that would be him!" Kakashi said with a clap. "Come on, let's go. We need to calm him down."

"Calm who down?" Sakura asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes. She was so dense. One didn't just ask questions when a possible threat was on the horizon. They suited up and got ready to get bloody. Sasuke pulled out his pistols, not bothering to fill them with ammo. He had all the ammunition he needed.

"Now don't start getting all restless, Sasuke. You probably won't have to do anything." Probably wasn't a word Sasuke accepted in his mental dictionary. There was either a yes or no. Because anything could happen. The three agents strode down the long hallway, quickly enough to see a blonde teen with fangs and claws, jumping around the lobby of floor 26. Broken chains dangled from his wrists and ankles, jingling as he dodged the attack of this man and that.

"You're going to have to try harder if you want to catch me!" The blonde teased. He ran passed Kakashi and his students, and he recognized him immediately. "Hey! Old man! It's you!" Naruto jumped over a guard and pushed off the man's back, flipping into the air. His landing wasn't graceful, but it was sure enough to shake the ground. The sudden arrival prompted Sasuke to whip his guns out, his eyes flashing a bright red. The blonde's eyes widened at the offensive party, immediately falling down into a defensive position. "Go ahead, shoot." Sasuke's stony gaze didn't waver as he cocked his guns.

"Now I'm sure we don't have to do all of _that." _Kakashi stepped in-between the two, placing a hand on Sasuke's pistol and the other on Naruto's head. "After all, this is no way for future teammates to be acting." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde as he clenched his gun tighter.

"_He's _the other one?" Sasuke glowered.

"The other what?" Naruto questioned, looking towards Kakashi. Kakashi sighed. He sure did have a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

**I was trying to lengthen this chapter but I have nothing to add, so...**

**Update. Sorry it's so late:P  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Once again, sorry for the delay. I've been trying to plot this out, and I keep changing stuff. So, right now I've got a plan in mind, but I'm sure it's going to change soon... Meh.  
**

**Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these _freaks _can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' _will_ end up saving the world. _Including_ your sorry behind."**

* * *

The Squad:

Never Back Down

* * *

.3: Rules of the Game.

* * *

"So... let me get this straight." The two out of three males in Kakashi's office turned to look at Sakura. The blonde one, who Sakura had yet to learn the name of, was much to busy being entertained by Kakashi's lava lamp to notice. Sakura watched him for a moment, sighed, and returned her eyes back to Kakashi. "We three are forming a team." Kakashi nodded.

"Yup."

"And you think that's going to work." It wasn't a question, but an accusation. Kakashi didn't appear to mind that much.

"Why wouldn't it?" Perhaps because Uchihas had been known for their ruthless and war-hawk nature prior to their demise, and Sasuke didn't appear to be an exception. He was cold, calculating, and had the mind of a soldier. And then there was the blonde boy, who had been on a rampage moments before, seemingly for no good reason. Sakura didn't know much about him besides the fact that he had to unstable if he was brought into the HQ in _chains_. And they couldn't forget that Sakura, being at school for the majority of her life, had been neglecting a lot of her ANBU training. In short; the three were dysfunctional, untrained... a disaster waiting to happen. Sakura wasn't afraid to inform Kakashi of the last part.

Of course, the man merely laughed at her.

"She's right, Kakashi," Sasuke said, officially entering the conversation. Kakashi looked over to Sasuke curiously. "You'd be better off leaving us as we were." The blonde made a face at that.

"_You _might be better off, but I like it here," the boy snapped prior to lifting the lava lamp closer to his face for a more in depth inspection. "Hey, Old Man, how'd you get these colored globs inside of this jar-thing?" Sasuke deadpanned at the idiotic question. He didn't have time to be hanging around children. After all, Sasuke had made it a point to create a very particular life-plan in mind; one that _didn't _involve the teammates.

"That, Naruto, is a lava lamp, and I had no part in creating it." The blonde's blue eyes widened.

"It's _real _lava?" Sasuke was considering murder for the second time that day. There was no way he was going to be on a team with such an idiot.

"I hardly think that lamp is important right now, Naruto, so let's all try to focus on the matter at hand." Naruto pouted, glancing over his shoulder at the other three agents.

"Fine." Kakashi grinned behind his mask and walked to the center of his office.

"Alright. Since Naruto had missed the big introduction before, the lovely young lady seated near my desk is Haruno Sakura, medical expert. Very strong, too, so try not to piss her off." Kakashi gave a pointed look Sasuke's way.

"_What_?"

"Nothing, Sasuke. Nothing." Kakashi turned back to Naruto. "The ever-so-sociable Uchiha Sasuke is a skilled marksman and possesses the unique Sharingan as well as a few other tricks." Naruto's blank expression signified that he had no idea what "Sharingan" meant. Sasuke groaned. "Um... more on that later. Sasuke, Sakura, this is Naruto. You could say he's the muscle of your team." There was a pause.

"...any details on that?" Sakura asked.

"Nope." _Well, alright then. _Kakashi began walking around his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a manila folder. "You three have been chosen as part of a special program, currently known as The Rookie Nine."

"I'm hardly a rookie," Sasuke interrupted, "I've been working for ANBU ever since Itachi-" Sasuke hesitated. Sakura cast her gaze to her shoes, fully aware of what Sasuke had almost said. Heck, anyone in league with ANBU had heard of the Uchiha Tragedy.

"Who's Itachi?" Almost anyone. Sakura glared at Naruto for not being more in tune with what was going on before looking to Sasuke to see his reaction. While he stiffened and looked beyond furious, the Uchiha did a good job of remaining in his spot.

"I have an idea. How about we all wait until _I finish talking_ before you speak." The three teens all looked at Kakashi solemnly, though Naruto looked slightly amused. "As I was saying, you three are just a small part to the Rookie Nine, as you've all been chosen from a large amount of young agents such as yourselves. You will go through vigorous training and then be dispatched on small missions to gauge your ability to work as a team. And once you've become fairly comfortable with each other and The Council deems you as a success, you will be allowed to go through the Elite Exams. Any questions?" Sakura couldn't see how there could be. Everything Kakashi said had been very pointblank.

"What are the Elite Exams?" But of course _he_ had to have one. And on the most obvious thing, too!

"It's the exams where agents like us go to attempt to become an elite." Another blank expression implied that Naruto still had no idea what Sakura was talking about. "There's no points in asking these questions. If you don't know, you don't _need _to know." It was harsh, she knew. She had never been known to be that mean. But this kid... he was a poor excuse for an agent. He didn't seem to have studied any of the guides all trainees were given. She was willing to be he hadn't even read the front _cover_. Slackers irritated Sakura to no end.

"But-" Naruto began, but he was cut off by Kakashi.

"Look, those exams are a long ways away. Let's just... focus on right now. You three will be living in dorms with the other rookies," Kakashi said as he passed around a slim packet to each of his students. "Training will begin at 4:00 sharp. I'd tell you more about it, but all you need to know is in your packets." Kakashi moved back around his desk and leaned against the mahogany piece of furniture. "You're official name is Team 7. I'm your superior. If you have any questions of concerns, the first person you bring it up to is with me. Got it?" Three somber nods. Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets as a response. "Alright. I think that's enough of an information dump for one day. Why don't you three run along, get to know each other. Just don't be late for training."

And with that, the three rookies were shoved out of Kakashi's office.

For a moment, none of them moved. And then:

"This is so cool!" Sakura and Sasuke both glared at Naruto. His wide grin only widened, as he seemed to be completely oblivious to the contempt. In fact, the blonde made quick work of wrapping both of his arms around his new teammates. He didn't consider the fact that he was still in his prison garbs. Prison garbs that were still dirty. "So, you guys wanna get lunch? I don't know about you, but I'm starving! Sakura-Chan? Sasuke?"

"I've really gotta go read over this packet," Sakura said as she eased out of Naruto's grasp. She didn't bother to say goodbye as she scurried away. Naruto's smile dropped a little. Okay. So one person ran. He still had Sasuke. His blue eyes focused on his second teammate, unaware of how the older teen was literally simmering in his grasp. "How about it, Sasuke? You 'n' me?" With a sharp elbow to the stomach, Sasuke successfully removed Naruto from his person.

"Don't ever touch me again," Sasuke hissed and stormed off as well. Naruto's smile dropped a little more. Some teammates he had. Still, it was no worse than anything else he had been dealt with.

"Alright! I'll see you guys later, then!"

He got no response.

* * *

**It's fun to write this, even though I have to pay a lot of attention to my writing style so it doesn't convert to my usually humorous-style. I'm thinking of doing a double update, so once I post this I will try to finish up chapter 4.**

**Oh, and since this is kind of an alternate universe of Part 1 Naruto (with a LOT of twists and turns), I'm debating whether Sakura should have a crush on Sasuke at first or drop that part of her personality completely. Any opinions?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO  
**

**Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these _freaks _can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' _will_ end up saving the world. _Including_ your sorry behind."**

* * *

The Squad:

Never Back Down

* * *

.4: So Far.

* * *

It felt weird to be clean.

A good kind of weird, of course, but any kind of weird was still weird, right?

That was all Naruto thought after exiting the communal showers, a towel around his waist and his tattered clothing in hand. The soap stung a bit, but it felt nice, just as good as the water. When had his last shower been anyway? Eight weeks? Three months? And it certainly hadn't been in a place as shiny as this. Naruto grinned as he headed towards the grey lockers. The packet he had received- which he had read kind of thoroughly before showering- had given him a pretty detailed description of the workings of ANBU. It told him about the uniform system, the meal hours for rookies, all the codes he needed to know...

Naruto opened his locker (code: 7345, punched into a high-tech looking keypad that he had most definitely played with, even after receiving strange looks from his other locker room mates) to reveal that it was already furnished with the clothes he needed for the day; dark green BDU pants, black tank top, and dog tags hanging from a hook. Naruto grinned as he quickly got changed. Man, did it feel good to be sporting actual clothes. After he was dressed and successfully dried off his blonde spikes, Naruto exited the locker room, feeling refreshed and...

Hungry.

He was _very _hungry, more so than usual.

The blonde figured it was as good a time as any to go locate a decent place to eat.

So with a spring in his step, Naruto was off, walking cheerfully down the hallway and whistling a cheery tune under his breath. As he walked down the hall, he spotted a familiar pink haired girl, exiting a room. She was dressed similarly to Naruto, and had a thick book in her hand. Naruto grinned. Now was his chance to make nice!

"Hey! Sakura-Chan!" Her green eyes narrowed at the sight of her "dim-witted" teammate.

"Hi." She continued walking, lifting her book to her eyes and training her focus on that.

"Where are you off to?" When he got no response, Naruto continued talking in a loud, bright voice. "I'm gonna get some food! Because, you know, I'm really hungry!"

"Interesting." Though Sakura didn't sound the least bit interested. Of course, Naruto ignored this and continued telling her about the foods he planned on devouring ("Something sweet, but kind of sour, with, like, a lot of meat!") and as he did this, Sakura continued to block him out with long medical terms like "laminaria" or "labia majora".

It wasn't working too well, though.

"Have you seen Sasuke around? Maybe he'd want to come eat with us! That'd be good, right? Like a team bonding experience?" It was almost as if Naruto was intentionally irritating the pink haired girl. All she really wanted to do was go eat quietly in a corner as she read her book, and go back to her room to prepare for training. She wasn't exactly in the mood to be around other agents, what with her being dragged away from her life four years early, and being stuck with an idiotic agent wasn't any better.

"Look, kid-"

"Naruto! You can call me Naruto!" The blonde hesitated. "Or Naru. Or To-to. I don't know. Do people usually give nicknames?" _Okay_. This kid was going from stupid to bizarre, and Sakura was not sure how to deal with it _at all._

"That's nice." It didn't answer his question, and by the tone of her voice, the phrase had sounded more like 'go die in a hole'. And the blonde still didn't take a hint. He kept the bright smile on his features as he continued following Sakura to the food court. The moment the shorter girl entered said cafeteria, she realized (with a sinking feeling) that with or without Naruto tailing at her heels, she would definitely not have a quiet lunch.

The room was packed with hundreds, even thousands of ANBU agents. Usually, that wouldn't have been so horrible. During their duty, ANBU were very strict, cold, mature... but apparently a little down time unwound even the most in controlled, as Sakura witnessed Morino Ibiki, a man most feared, laughing jovially along with Iruka and Gai as though the three were the best of friends.

_Ah, geez..._

"There's a lot of people here, eh, Sakura-Chan?" Sakura ignored the question and headed straight for the food line, wishing she were going anywhere but.

* * *

Sasuke knew his teammates were going to go eat.

He'd already eaten. So unless he wanted to go socialize, which he didn't, there was no need for him to be wandering towards the food court. And since Sasuke didn't do anything that was unneeded, he decided to go to training early. He clearly needed more practice if he had let target 52 sneak passed him. A grim line was set into Sasuke's face as he began emptying his pistol of it's ammunition. He refused to let another '52' happen. It was not in his genes to fail, and Sasuke wasn't going to be the first Uchiha to-

"You're here early." Damn it. Sasuke glared over his shoulder at the pink haired girl. She approached with caution, he could tell. Despite the fact that her face appeared at ease and her arms were folded casually behind her back, Sasuke could see how tense her joints were, how her eyes nervously darted towards the door. The Uchiha had realized long ago that just because of the name he bore, the teen was able to instill fear and anxiety into people. Sasuke had to smirk at that.

At least that aspect of his personality was still sharp and tuned.

Though Naruto seemed completely immune.

_Naruto's an idiot._

Sasuke started to remove the bullets from his other gun.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked. Trying to start conversation. Hmph. Sasuke ignored her as he did with most people and continued emptying his gun. Sakura wasn't so easily deterred. "Don't you need those?" He figured a curt reply wouldn't hurt.

"No." There was a pause. And then:

"Why not?" Sigh. Sasuke started towards the target practice, not even bothering to look back. There wasn't any time for conversations. He had training to do.

By the time four o'clock came, Sasuke was seriously considering bashing his head against the wall. Oh, he hit target 52 this time. But 137 in trial one? And 24 in trial two? And 385, 876, and _16 _in trial three?

All.

Missed.

This was unacceptable. Uchihas did not tire. Uchihas did not "lose their edge". And most importantly, Uchihas did not _fail_. At least, that's what Fugaku had drilled into Sasuke's mind since birth. Sasuke was about to start the fourth target sequence when a familiar silver haired man waltzed into the room as if he owned the place (and seeing as Sasuke knew next to nothing about the man's heritage, he supposed it could be possible). _  
_

"Afternoon, Sasuke. I had a feeling I was going to find you here." Sasuke growled at Kakashi as he holstered his guns, a bit more violently than necessary. "What's with the sad face?" Sasuke shoved passed Kakashi.

"Shut up, Hatake." Kakashi smiled at the edge in Sasuke's voice.

"You're definitely in a good mood." Sasuke didn't respond as Kakashi led the way to one of the other training rooms- Room B76. It was a large room, pretty bare save for a container of boxing gloves in the corner and a number of mats on the ground to make a sort of battle ground. B76 was one of the lower ranking sparring rooms, and it was an insult to Sasuke's (apparently deteriorating) skills. It only angered him more to see Sakura and Naruto dressed in t-shirts and shorts with excited looks on their faces.

As if they were about to prove their worth in a playground such as this.

Pathetic.

"Today is going to be very simple. As soon as the other teams get here, I will read off who will be the first two to fight from a randomly selected list. Easy right?" Naruto and Sakura nodded. Sasuke crossed his arms, which must've been a sort of confirmation in Kakashi's head, for the man continued. "Now, you're not trying to kill your opponents, only gauge their hand-to-hand skills. So, Sasuke no bullets, Sakura, tone down your strength from earth shattering to minor bone breaks, and Naruto..." Kakashi locked eyes with the jumpy blonde for a moment, and for that moment, Sasuke saw a serious look flash across both of their faces.

It was only for a moment though. Another second later, Naruto was back to bouncing, and Kakashi was back to rule prattling. Ugh, the idiots. Kakashi continued talking for a little bit before telling them to stretch. Sakura did so immediately. Naruto, looking a bit confused, asked Sakura for help. She grunted some, but ultimately relented, leading him. Sasuke didn't stretch.

(Did you ever see a lion stretching before it took down a gazelle?)

(He didn't think so.)

He just waited in the corner, watching as teens around his age slowly trickled into the room. Sasuke recognized a few (Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee in particular) but the majority were strangers to him. Sasuke was quick to start analyzing them. The short girl with long raven hair shared a strong resemblance to Neji; they must've had similar techniques. The one with the wild brown hair and a large dog trailing at his heels had claws and fangs; no doubt he was one of those slash-and-bash types. But before Sasuke could analyze anyone else, Kakashi's serene voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Good Afternoon, young agents. Before any of you comment on how early I am today, let me just remind you that I am in charge of the grade you recieve today, and anyone with under a seventy has to spend a week working out with Gai." The soft chatter in the room quickly died down at the very thought of that. "Good. Now that we're all on the same page, let us quickly begin so that you can finish and spend the rest of the day getting to know each other." There were a few sounds of agreement. "Alright. The first two sparring... Haruno Sakura and-"

"Did you just say _Haruno Sakura_?" The room silenced as a girl unfamiliar to Sasuke pushed out of the crowd of rookies, blue eyes wide and searching for Sakura. Sasuke raised a curious eyebrow at this developement before he looked to his teammate to see her reaction. Said girl's eyes were wide, as well, and full of both shame and shock. Sasuke wanted to know what was going on. Everyone in the room did, he presumed.

_"Ino!?"_

There was a silence, so awkward and tense Sasuke could literally feel it. Sakura stared open mouthed at the blonde (Ino was it?) who was nervously shuffling from foot to foot. Finally the blue eyed girl looked to the ceiling.

"Well, damn. This is awkward."

* * *

**Was this a good chapter? I tried not to make it short and make the story move, so... I hope this fits all of your fancies! Apologize for the delay but...**

**school.**

**life.**

**the brief point in time i lost internet... (dark time, indeed)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO  
**

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO  
**

**Summary: "Do you really think that these kids- no- these _freaks _can save the world?" Kakashi looked up, showing only mild interest in the man's distress. "Actually, yes, Sir, I believe these 'freaks' _will_ end up saving the world. _Including_ your sorry behind."**

* * *

The Squad:

Never Back Down

* * *

.5: It Gets Real.

* * *

Sakura was about ready to explode. It was almost as it someone, somewhere was pushing all of her buttons- tempting her to lose her infamous temper, lose the maturity she tried so hard to exude. But at that moment, Sakura found herself struggling to keep calm as she gritted her teeth together, matching her best friend's shocked stare with a withering glare.

"I didn't know you were an agent, Ino." The blonde placed her hands on her hips at Sakura's hostility.

"Hm, yea. Just like I wasn't aware that you're not attending your mother's funeral. Oops." That was it. Sakura hissed, taking one lethal step forward. Before she could do any real harm to Ino (or Ino could retaliate), a hand was placed onto Sakura's shoulder, holding her back.

"Save this for another time," Kakashi instructed. He squeezed Sakura's shoulder while he spoke it, as if that in itself insinuated his will. When Sakura huffed a begrudged 'fine', Kakashi grinned and returned his attention to his roster. "Alright,"he began, "as I was saying before... that..." The tension in the room wavered. All could feel it, yet most tried pretending they couldn't. "Haruno Sakura... you will be sparring against Inuzuka Kiba."

And the training commenced.

* * *

Kakashi watched with what appeared to be a mild interest as the youthful agents battled one another. There usually wasn't a clear winner or loser in a spar; Sakura and Kiba matched each other blow for blow, Hinata fluidly, almost _easily,_ dodged the brutal attacks Sasuke unleashed upon her (much to the latter's frustration), Shino and Tenten kept up with each other pretty well...

The only _real _failure (not counting Shikamaru who quit the moment Rock Lee began sprinting for him) was, unfortunately, Naruto. Kakashi had known that pitting the blonde against one of the bigger fish like Sasuke or Neji would've definitely excited the boy far too much. So, the man decided to play it safer and put him against a less formidable opponent; Yamanaka Ino. While the match could've turned out completely different had special abilities been allowed, Ino's hand-to-hand combat was nothing special. Kakashi had been sure that a girl like her could keep Naruto from doing something he'd regret.

But the man was only half right.

Kakashi could see the reluctance in Naruto's eyes, the way he seemed hesitant, if not too scared, o fight back. No one else seemed to notice the way Naruto pulled his punches, purposefully slowed his sped so that she could hit him; so that he wouldn't hit her. No, no one noticed that. Instead, they focused on how Naruto hadn't landed one successful blow on the blonde girl, and could hardly dodge any of her attacks. Kakashi pressed his lips together, feeling almost bad as Ino managed to grab the fist that Naruto "flung" at her and flip the boy onto his back. It was about time the match ended.

"That's enough," Kakashi said, stepping into the makeshift ring. Ino immediately relaxed, yanking Naruto to his feet. The cautious look to his eyes had melted away the moment Kakashi announced the end of the fight, and the blonde was all smiles.

"Good fight," he said to Ino. The girl didn't seem to agree, but offered a meager 'sure' as she walked towards the large mass of students.

"Good work today, guys," Kakashi said before anyone had a chance to speak up. "This was really just a little warm up for me to see what type of fighter you are. I took notes. I made tabs." Kakashi paused as he glanced around at the young faces. He remembered when he had been in their positions. Though, he remembered being eager. While most of the group was, such a word just didn't fit the disinterest of Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino. Old men in young bodies, Kakashi thought. "Tomorrow, we'll start team training, which will be a lot longer and a lot harder than this. Or anything you've done before." A loud groan came from the back, one Kakashi knew came from a certain pineapple head.

"You're done for today, though. You're free to go to your dorms, explore... whatever. I don't particularly care. Just don't do anything stupid." And with that, the group began to disperse. "Um...Naruto?" The blonde glanced over his shoulder. There were a few snickers as his name was called. Kakashi was sure he knew why as well, but said nothing. "I need to speak with you for a minute." The blonde nodded, galloping over to Kakashi with enough energy to tire the average person.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei? What do ya need?" Kakashi waited for a moment, watching as the other students left the gym. It wasn't until he heard the door close that he spoke up.

"You let Ino beat you." Naruto blinked.

"You told me to hold back, Kakashi-sensei. So I did." Kakashi sighed.

"I didn't mean to do it to the point where you made a fool of yourself..." Naruto stared at Kakashi in confusion. "Look, Naruto, I know this is hard for you. You don't exactly understand how it feels to be with a group of children your own age. But they can be rude, more so when they don't understand something. And none of them understand you. Especially why you couldn't manage to even compare to Ino, who's hand-to-hand skills are lackluster at best." Naruto looked down, almost ashamed. It was enough to make Kakashi feel guilty.

"I... I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I just didn't want to hurt her," Naruto mumbled. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. It was sometimes amazing, all of the emotions that were stuffed inside the blonde before him. It was even more so because a large amount of people refused to see more than one; anger or stupidity or weakness. But Kakashi knew better than most that Naruto was actually a _human_. With real, honest feelings. It was one of the reasons Kakashi was so desperate to get Naruto to become an Elite. The ANBU needed more people like him if they hoped to remain above corruption. They needed a hero...

"Don't looks so down, Naruto. This is infinitely better than, say, you actually trying." Naruto looked up with widened eyes.

"Really?"

"Yea," Kakashi said. "I'm glad you know self control. It makes my job easier." Naruto's eyes narrowed at this.

"How so?" he asked, but Kakashi didn't answer. The silver haired man began walking away in fact, throwing a wave over his shoulder.

"You should try making friends," Kakashi suggested. "It'd make the others like you more."

And with that, Kakashi dissappeared.

* * *

**Okay, this is pretty short, but I wanted to update for you guys :) Longer stuff coming your way. And if you want for me to give a peak at the antagonists of the story, than ask. **

**OH! And as a treat for being so late, I'm going to have a contest. Any interested party just travel on to my profile and see what it's about! **


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